I have traveled a road not taken for several years. A road that has been curvy, rough at times, occasional pot hole; but has always had a straight stretch in the distance leading to places unknown, sights unseen,and new adventures. My first stop in the road was when I was maybe 4 My younger brother,Steve, was in his crib and I was put in charge! Mommy was in the yard hanging out the laundry. Steve decided to climb out of the crib and go for a walk on the front porch that has no steps and is 8 feet off the ground. I grab him by his diaper and scream until Mommy comes running in and saves the day. I remember another time when my sister, Rita, and I got in a fist fight, a lot of hair pulling; Can't remember why, but no one came to that rescue. I don't have many memories of my siblings at home. As they were older than me and gone from home when I was young. I do remember when Timmy got his first guitar, red I think? Chet Atkins was "the man" Bobbie kind of fades in and out because she must have been in high school. I do remember she was always the boss when Mommy and Daddy would go to "town" and do the once a month grocery chore. I remember Lonnie and company. Seems like he never did anything without a group of friends. He always had motorcycles and homemade go carts and always had time for me. From there on everyone was gone from home with their own lives, married, college, or in the Service. I remember many times not seeing Daniel and David for years as they were fighting for our country. Mommy always praying for them or telling me her stories of them So I would have memories. I stayed with Ruth one summer and remember her curling my hair and taking me to get my picture taken! Wow did I feel special. Vonda LuGene was someone I heard alot about and knew that when she called, Mommy and Daddy got really excited. And then as I got a little older I got to spend an entire summer with her in the big city. My memories of Mommy and Daddy are too numerous to tell. I remember when Daddy would come home from work he would sit in the kitchen in front of the stove and I would take off his boots. Then I would rummage through his left over lunch in his bucket! Then another memory of him on a green bench on the porch when he found out he was not able to work anymore due to blacklung. Many evenings sitting on that same front porch listening to bob whites call and he would say "sis, why don't you make us some popcorn?" I remember the first time I made cornbread and fried potatoes for lunch. Mommy and Daddy were either harvesting or planting something in the yard. They bragged all about it but I am not sure how great it was! Many nights I would be up with leg cramps or pain and Mommy would bring linament and sing or pray while she rubbed my legs til I fell asleep. As I grew older we would pray together. One time in particular is when I heard about a prayer request at church. I didn't know this young man but he was heavy on my heart to pray for him. When I told Mommy about the request she said well we will just pray about it now. The holy spirit filled Mommy and she got happy. After that she said I feel that everything is going to be alright. I met him a few months later after he had heart surgery, His name was Danny Hutsenpiller! I often wondered if she knew that he would be the one for me. I wish I would've asked her. She was there with me when I had each of my children and then as I learned how to become a mother she was there for me, my role model. I called her at 3am when Emily had a temperature of 104, and she prayed with me over the phone. I felt better and eventually Emily was too. I called her when Tanner turned blue from the croup and I had no idea. Again we prayed. Then there was the time Jacob had a seizure from a fever We took him to the ER, but I had to call Mommy first and get that prayer started. Then life got really busy, Mommy and Daddy got older and somewhere between baseball games and the rush of life "IT" went from me depending on them to them depending on me. Taking them to doctors appt, reading bills because they couldn't see, checking blood pressures, blood sugars; all became part of my daily routine. Getting calls at work from Daddy, telling me Mommy had another "spell" with her blood pressure or calls from Mommy saying Daddy isn't feeling well can you talk to the doctor and get him some medicine! From there the road got rough with illnesses and age. But we continued our prayer journery on that old road. Now Mommy is on that straight stretch yearning for sights unseen and those adventures she has yet to take. I know she is rejoicing in her heart and soul because she has paved the road for those of us left here on earth. She has laid the foundation and although we may still have some curves and bumps in the road our own straight stretch is waiting on us and I am sure that Mommy and Daddy will be at the end of the road!